This invention relates to an apparatus for feeding electrical cables through existing structures. In particular, this invention is concerned with an electrician's snake that is visible and easy to locate in the low light environments of ducts, wall cavities and other passages used to house electrical wiring.
Various devices have been employed in the past to facilitate the installation of electrical conductors in conduits, raceways, wall cavities, ceiling plenums and other passageways. Light weight and flexible chains have commonly been used to aid in the feeding of electrical cables. Light weight chains however are only practical for feeding electrical conductors or guidelines where one end of the chain can be lowered from a higher position through a passageway to a lower position. Once one end of the chain is lowered from the higher position to the lower position then the electrical conductor can be attached to the end of the chain and pulled via the chain through the passageway up to the higher position. Another common device often used to ease installation of electrical conductors in passages is an electrician's "snake" or "fish tape". A conventional snake typically comprises a flattened strip of metal. The snake is typically used to feed cables through a passage by first advancing the snake through the passage, attaching the electrical conductor or guideline to the leading end of the snake and then pulling the snake and attached conductor back through the conductor.
Electrician's snakes of the type described have proven to be difficult to use, especially in passages already occupied with electrical conductors. When using the snake in an empty passageway or duct, there is little chance of the snake becoming tangled or otherwise obstructed. If advancement of the snake through the passage does become encumbered, the snake can be pulled out and another attempt at feeding the snake through the passage can be made without fear of snagging or damaging other electrical conductors. In the case where there are preexisting electrical conductors in the passageway, the snake can and often does become entangled with or otherwise encumbered by the preexisting electrical conductors in the passage. Since the long, narrow and confined passageways housing electrical conductors are dimly illuminated or completely dark it is often difficult or impossible to determine exactly where and upon what the snake is entangled. Even when the end of the snake being advanced through the passageway is relatively near an end opening of the passageway, locating the end of the snake to attach the electrical conductor to be pulled can be difficult due to the dimly lit passageway. Locating the end of the snake is a problem encountered when working in passages with or without other preexisting electrical conductors--the problem is more pronounced in passages having other electrical conductors however. In addition to not being able to determine exactly where and upon what the snake is entangled, the metallic snake may itself become an electrical conductor if the snake comes into contact with an uninsulated electrical conductor, thereby posing a hazard to the operator of the snake.